THE number of patients dealt with in under four hours at Worcestershire's two A&E departments have missed the target yet again, it has emerged.

For the 11th consecutive month health bosses have failed to hit the 95 per cent standard, a new report has revealed.

Data for August shows how 88 per cent of patients were seen, treated and either sent home or admitted within the four-hour Government-mandated threshold.

For just Worcestershire Royal Hospital it was 78 per cent, way below the target but still the highest figure this year, while at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital it was 91 per cent.

The time of an early diagnosis at both sites was 27 minutes, which was also below the national standard of 15 minutes.

The findings were discussed during a meeting of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Board.

Sarah Smith, the director of strategy, planning and improvement, said: "It was the 11th consecutive month we failed to hit the target.

"We urgently need to break the 90 per cent barrier before we can get to 95 per cent.

"Bed occupancy is the underlying cause, the ability to move more people through the hospital."

Rab McEwan, the trust's chief operating officer, said: "We regard it as critical to our success that we start delivering this.

"The demand we experience in our emergency departments drives a lot of the pressures we face, particularly the financial ones."

Chris Tidman, the interim chief executive, added: "It really does hinder the trust in every way, we need to be very ruthless about focusing on this.

"It's a piece of information which drives a lot of the pressures we face, I want to be really clear about that."

Alternatives to A&E include the minor injury units in Malvern, Evesham, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Tenbury.

The waiting times are often significantly shorter and the unit in Kidderminster is open 24 hours a day.

People can also call the NHS 111 hotline 24 hours a day.